Discussions By Condition: I cannot get a diagnosis.

skin sensitive to touch...........ouffffffff

Hi, I've been having this problem for 3 years now, and it's completely excruciating.My skin is extremely sensitive to touch, but it seems to be always waist down. I suggested to my neurologist that maybe it was neuropathy, but it is not after doing that needle test, and reflexes..... So, he has no clue what it is.The first time i got it started in my toes then crawled to my calf then my thighs....it started on one leg, then dissapeared and continued on the other. It lasted 2 months the first time around....6 months later i only got it on my upper leg..and lasted 2 weeks...I got this back many times again....And once again i have this on my upper right thigh..... It's a horrible, fire feeling....the clothes against my skin hurt. I have no rash, no nothing visible. Just skin sensitivity. I've ran out of theories................... PLEASE help!!!....

11 Replies:

Hi, I've been having this problem for 3 years now, and it's completely excruciating.My skin is extremely sensitive to touch, but it seems to be always waist down. I suggested to my neurologist that maybe it was neuropathy, but it is not after doing that needle test, and reflexes..... So, he has no clue what it is.The first time i got it started in my toes then crawled to my calf then my thighs....it started on one leg, then dissapeared and continued on the other. It lasted 2 months the first time around....6 months later i only got it on my upper leg..and lasted 2 weeks...I got this back many times again....And once again i have this on my upper right thigh..... It's a horrible, fire feeling....the clothes against my skin hurt. I have no rash, no nothing visible. Just skin sensitivity. I've ran out of theories................... PLEASE help!!!....any....help out there!!??????now i'm really desperate:( Do you use any Denture cream? There have been alot of people suffering from severe pain caused by too much zinc in denture cream and some vitamin supplements have zinc. also.

I have the same problem, started suddenly yesterday. Left inner thigh mainly, just like sunburn but nothing to see. This is strangely similar to about 7 years ago when I knelt down rather quickly to fix something and my knee kind of popped and swelled up in less than 2 minutes! It went down over a couple of days but left be with very sensitive skin in the same place as now. It took 3 or 4 years to fade but was still noticable if you thought about it. Now it seems to be back with a vengance! Triggered maybe by a chest infection I have now.Probably no conection, but I had polio as a child.

Patti did your neurologist order an MRI scan for thoracic or lumbar radiculopathy? Could be a compressed nerve. I've been in pain for six weeks and finally I think this might be it. Am having the scan this week.

I have been having a similar problem for years! It starts on my calf or thigh and seems to move up over the course of 1-2 days, sometimes as high as my rib cage. It is a burning kind of feeling, but the skin looks normal, no redness, rash, etc. It is very painful, especially to even a light touch and is very sensitive to cold. It is usually on one side or the other and lasts 2-5 days at a time. My docter tested for blood clots, but everything was negative and he just told my to take ibuprofen. Any ideas?

Patty911 -I have the exact thing!!!!! I've been to doc's and no one knows what it is. Have you found anything out yet that you could share with me???Hi, I've been having this problem for 3 years now, and it's completely excruciating.My skin is extremely sensitive to touch, but it seems to be always waist down. I suggested to my neurologist that maybe it was neuropathy, but it is not after doing that needle test, and reflexes..... So, he has no clue what it is.The first time i got it started in my toes then crawled to my calf then my thighs....it started on one leg, then dissapeared and continued on the other. It lasted 2 months the first time around....6 months later i only got it on my upper leg..and lasted 2 weeks...I got this back many times again....And once again i have this on my upper right thigh..... It's a horrible, fire feeling....the clothes against my skin hurt. I have no rash, no nothing visible. Just skin sensitivity. I've ran out of theories................... PLEASE help!!!....any....help out there!!??????now i'm really desperate:(

Patty911 -I have the exact thing!!!!! I've been to doc's and no one knows what it is. Have you found anything out yet that you could share with me???I have the same thing. Moves to different parts of my body, arms, legs, neck, and shoulders. I noticed it about 3 weeks ago. The only different thing I've done is get fake nails, gel permant french, I'm wondering if I'm allergic to the chemicals they put on my nails and its hitting my nerves. Does anyone have fake nails?

I have had the same thing for years. I always discounted it as being a part of menstration and perhaps my senses were hightened because of it. Mine are always on my legs, usually inner thighs and feels like a sunburn with no visual symptoms. I am seeing my doctor in the coming weeks and I will inquire and report back.

Ok so I am new here and I could be completely off I have been searching the internet a lot but about 1 week ago I started to notice that my left side of my body was burning around my abdomen and right below my ribs I touch my skin and it feels like it is on FIre! I kept thinking what could I have done I remembered wearing a pair of pants too tight around my abdomen for way too long I was able to get home a rip them off finally but then I just went on with my normal life that is when about 1 week ago I started having the burning sensation that I had when the pants were to tight. Here is the thing I also heard High amounts of stress can cause these symptoms as well and a person literally has to figure out how to stay happy so that the body no longer produces a hormone that builds up in the muscle which then squeezes the nerves which in turn produces the burning sensation, so I believe I may have squeezed a nerve too long wearing tight pants and I have to massage it out no matter how bad it burns! I am sensitive to heat and cold. I also read about fibromyalgia which is similar to what I just described same symptoms same treatment needed. Massage and happy thoughts I also noticed that low glycemic levels are associated with this as well so here is my story please give me feed back. I have lot's of stress I am 34 I go to school full time I work and I have two children and I am single. I just went on a fast where I do not eat any sugar and I have been on it about a month my sugar was my stress reliever. I wore a pair of pants that were way to tight one night and I am sure I cut the circulation off to the nerves. So I am not positive what the cause of this fire sensation is. I have decided to go to the hospital I will get back with everyone but I have at least something to go to the doctors with. I am so sorry I could not help more I really appreciate all you coming forward as well I do not feel so alone anymore I recommend trying not to worry get happy -exercise eat well do not wear clothes too tight and got to the spa and get a massage. talk later Heather R:rolleyes:

Hi, I was going through the posts looking for ideas about onion smell on hands and got side tracked with these posts about the sensitive skin. I had the same issue. I have neuropathy but when was diagnosed with that, they did not know the cause. A few years later I started having the odd sensations on my skin. My cat at the time had brushed up against my leg and I about hit the ceiling! I changed neurologists since the one I was seeing didn't seem to be much concerned that it felt like someone was dragging a knife up my leg whenever something light touched it. So, I was sent to a TEAM of them. I asked them point blank if they thought I was crazy. They all said, NO. They said there is a disease called...Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and that's what I have. It does not always annoy me, it comes and goes. They said that was a bit unusual but not unheard of. So bring it up to your doctor. According to the team I was seeing, it DOES NOT have to affect both limbs at the same time. Hope this helps, it's worth a shot. I feel your pain. :-( Be well. Jen.

My wife experiences these same symptoms. She is 55, in good shape with no real health issues. She has 5 kids. Ellen is supposed to take calcium for bone density. She is thin. 5'7" and 120 lbs. She has had this since she was 20. It comes on and goes away seemingly randomly. Sometimes she gets it twice in 1 month. Sometimes she doesnt get ut for several months. It usu lasts 1 to 3 days. It can be very painful. It is generally not debilitating but very bothersome. Ellen always says it feels like it is in her veins. There are no outward signs on skin. It is usu on one side or the other of her body and usu in the lower extremities. Yesterday and today it was in her butt and upper leg. It starts on one side of body and tends to move to the other. Her skin is very sensitive to heat and cold and touch. Neither aspirin or advil seems to work. Last night she took a pain killer (roxicet) and that seemed to help the pain and allow her to sleep. She has been to doctors but no one has been able to pinpoint the problem. One of the problems with diagnosis is that by the time she gets to see a doctor, the symptoms have usu subsided. One thing I am wondering is whether this something mostly women get? Ellen is thinking of talking to a specialist doctor who is a very good diagnostician and has been very helpful to a friend with ms. We need "House"!

I have been experiencing something similar. I am a 30 yr. old woman and I've had extreme skin sensitivity off and on for about 12 years. The first time I remember it happening it was my lower back. I had bloodwork and urine tests done at the hospital (they wondered about kidney infections and pregnancy) but nothing showed up on any tests. Ever since then I've had it come and go. I've wondered if there is any connection to my menstrual cycle but I've never kept track. I have had type 1 diabetes for 22 years, and although it's been under pretty good control, I'm starting to wonder if it's some nerve damage from that.?? I have no idea.